NZ man facing child sex charges extradited to Australia

A New Zealand man facing child sex charges will be extradited to Australia on Thursday, following an investigation that has spanned more than five years.

The 42-year-old has been the subject of an investigation by Taskforce Argos - a specialised branch of the Queensland Police Service responsible for the investigation of online child exploitation and abuse.

The investigation, named Operation Juliet Conduit, commenced in October 2011 following information received from New Zealand police regarding the online activities of two men, who were posting explicit child exploitation content on a device belonging to the extradited man.

The two men who posted the content are an Australian pair who claimed to have adopted a baby from a Russian surrogate mother.

Queensland police have today revealed that their investigation uncovered the two men had procured the child for the intent of sexual exploitation. They facilitated the abuse of the child as part of an international network of child sex offenders.

"The two men were arrested and charged during a trip to the United States in February 2012. Both were charged with conspiracy to sexually exploit a child and the sexual exploitation of a child," said a Queensland police spokesperson.

During the examination of devices belonging to the men, chat logs, images and video were obtained by investigators identifying the 42-year-old New Zealand man had engaged in the sexual abuse of the child and taken hundreds of indecent images.

The man was arrested by New Zealand Police in August 2016. He will on Thursday be extradited to Brisbane to face nine charges of indecent treatment of a child under 12.

He will appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.

"This arrest closes the final chapter on a protracted and difficult investigation that has resulted in the arrest of members of a child sex offender network that spanned the globe. It is testimony to the dedication and commitment of Queensland Police child protection investigators," Detective Inspector Jon Rouse of Taskforce Argos said.